Lorie O - Strong, Sleek and Sinful

She would wager he also knew Dani wasn’t in school today. Most serial killers learned everything there was to know about their victims, bonding with them, in a sense, before killing them. It made the attack more personal, and some, although not all, got off on that moment of death when their victim quit breathing. It was a sense of victory, of claiming a life they’d become so close to. Sick. So fucking sick. Kylie wasn’t aware of any rehabilitation that had been successful in curing this type of mental disorder. But after seeing what this monster was capable of, she would get off with his death.

The front door opened when she stepped onto the first step leading to it.

“What were you doing?” Dani stuck her head around the door but was pulled back as Kylie approached.

“I didn’t want to be rude and come to the door while on the phone,” Kylie offered, smiling easily at the teenager.

Perry had a firm hand on Dani’s shoulder and pulled her farther back into the house as he opened the door wider so Kylie could enter. He shut it the moment she was inside and slid the dead bolt into place.

“It looked as if you were looking for someone. Not that I could see all that well with my personal bodyguard haunting me worse than a stalker.”

“You’ve got it so bad,” Perry said, rolling his eyes and glaring at Dani. “I’ve been waiting on you hand and foot.”

“That’s because you love me the most.” Dani wrapped her slender arms around her uncle’s waist and smiled up at him. When she shifted her focus to Kylie, she swore she saw a bit of territorial possessiveness going on in the glow of Dani’s eyes.

“Don’t push your luck.” Perry looked stern and his face was lined with worry or stress, although probably both. “Go get your picture you drew for Kylie.”

“I didn’t just draw it for her,” Dani said, and pouted, reluctantly dropping her hands when her uncle peeled her off him. “And you really want me to go upstairs alone?”

“Hurry,” Perry ordered.

Dani’s attention shifted from one of them to the other. “Don’t worry. I will.” She damn near ran out of the living room and pounced up the stairs.

Perry didn’t move in for a kiss the moment Dani left the room. Kylie wasn’t sure how she felt about that, and her indecisive emotions irritated her as much as being unable to piece the puzzle of this case together.

“Did you see the Suburban drive by?” he asked, keeping his voice low. He’d showered recently and his dark hair almost looked black as strands covered the top half of his ears and turned in small curls at his collar.

“Yes.” She recited the tag number to him, admiring his green eyes that were also exceptionally dark today. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and it wasn’t often she got to admire all of that roped muscle out of uniform. “It’s the same tag number you called in when you chased him out of the bowling alley last week. It’s a fake.”

“That makes it the third time this morning he’s driven by,” Perry announced, walking past her to the window and clasping his hands behind his back while staring outside. His jeans were faded and looked very comfortable, as well as providing eye candy that made her insides swell with instant need as she studied the roped muscle flexing in his thighs.

“Good thing you’re here then,” Kylie said, her mouth too moist after drooling over Perry. She was certain it wasn’t the only part of her body now soaked. “She’s going to need to be watched over twenty-four-seven until we catch him. Why are you out of uniform?”

He pierced her with a hard stare as he turned his head and captured her gaze with his. “I took a personal day. It was that or kill Rad when he implied I could get a thirty-day suspension without pay if I didn’t stay away from you.”

Was that why he didn’t touch her? Or was there another reason? She ached to ask but wouldn’t. There wasn’t any reason to open up that discussion in spite of her heated craving to know the answer.

“I got a similar speech,” she offered.

Dani came bounding down the stairs holding a piece of typing paper she’d used to draw Peter’s face. She’d used colored pencils, and at first glance it was obvious she’d labored over the task. Kylie stared at the picture, willing recognition to kick in. Who was Peter?

“Your job or a relationship?” Perry asked, his soft baritone doing a number on her almost as bad as when his dark eyes caressed her soul.

“What?” Dani asked, pausing in between the two of them and staring from one to the other.

“Pretty much.” She stared over Dani’s head into those compelling eyes of his, and her insides twisted into a knot of anticipation. There was an overwhelming urge to walk into his arms, to say to hell with supervisors and threats of job security.

“Uncle Perry doesn’t like it.” Dani lifted her drawing to eye view for Kylie.

Perry pulled his gaze from hers first, shifting his attention to his niece. “I never said I didn’t like it,” he said in that low, soothing voice of his.

“Fine. He said it wouldn’t help.”

Kylie pulled her attention and her focus to the drawing, then took it from Dani, staring at it. “You were pretty upset last night; maybe if you tell me again exactly what happened.” She stared at the drawing, understanding Perry’s comment. The cartoon caricature could be anyone.

“I’ve already told Uncle Perry twice,” Dani groaned.

Perry moved over to the couch, his expression serious and unreadable when he looked out the window. Then reclining, stretching his long legs out before him with cowboy boots making them look even longer and more muscular, he rested his arm on the back of the couch and looked at Kylie.

Every inch of her tingled when she once again lost herself in his dark, brooding stare. If she was going to learn anything during this meeting, though, she needed to keep her thoughts off how his hands felt when he touched her.

“This is a good picture,” Kylie said, turning her attention to Dani and trying to reassure her. “Is this a ball cap?”

Dani walked around the coffee table and sat right next to her uncle, sitting cross-legged and brushing her long brown hair over her shoulder. “Yes. I don’t remember what it said on it, but I think it was red, so that is what color I made it.”

Kylie nodded, taking the other end of the couch and leaning against the side so she faced Dani. Her gaze shifted to Perry’s long fingers, relaxed behind Dani’s head on the back of the couch, but she diverted her attention again to the picture.

“So his hair is dark and his eyes are blue?” That much information eliminated Perry from any line of suspects, not that she believed his chief suspected him or he wouldn’t have put Perry on the case. His eyes were definitely not blue. “Can you describe his build?”

Kylie already guessed John would be wary of any statement coming from Perry’s niece. She wasn’t sure why John didn’t like Perry, but it was obvious he didn’t.

“Now you’re asking questions like my uncle.” Dani narrowed her gaze on Kylie. “How much time are you spending with Uncle Perry?”

Kylie wasn’t sure why a wave of relief washed over her, but she grinned easily, grateful the smart and attentive teenager didn’t bust her for being more than a college student and friend. She focused on Dani’s soft green eyes. Of all his nieces, Dani probably looked the least like Perry.

“You know, you look a lot better without all that eyeliner.” Kylie meant it, too. Dani was very beautiful and minutes away from looking like a young adult instead of a child.

Especially when she narrowed her gaze and made a tsking sound with her tongue. “And you suck at avoiding answering questions,” she retorted, lifting one eyebrow and looking rather haughty. “What are your intentions with my uncle?”